Yale Jewish a capella group to stop in Tampa, perform concert at Palm Harbor temple

Yale University a cappella group Magevet Magevet, Yale University’s first, and only a cappella group of Jewish, Hebrew, and Israeli music, will perform three concerts in the Tampa Bay area in January.

The only concert in the area open to the general public is on Sunday, Jan. 3 at 3:30 p.m. at Temple Ahavat Shalom, 1575 Curlew Road, Palm Harbor. During the hour-long performance, the group will sing diverse selections from their repertoire. They will be joined by the Temple Ahavat Shalom teen choir, under the direction of Cantor Deborah Jacobson for a couple of joint numbers.

Admission is $10 for adults and free for children and teens. Sponsorships are available for $100 with reserved seating and parking.

The group will also perform at Grand Court senior residences in Tampa and at the Pinellas County Jewish Day School.

During their visit to the area, the group members will be staying with hosts from Temple Ahavat Shalom.

The group was founded in 1993 by a group of Orthodox Jewish men at Yale. The group really enjoyed singing in the sauna, because the space enhanced the sound of their voices. When they decided to form an a cappella group, they called it Magevet, which means towel in Hebrew, to remind them of their days in the sauna.

Since then, Magevet has brought its unique blend of different kinds of Jewish music to communities all over the country and the world. The group’s music comes from a wide variety of sources, including Renaissance liturgical pieces, Ladino love songs, and modern Israeli popular music.

This year, in addition to the January trip to Florida, Magevet will be traveling to Germany and the Czech Republic in March.

Magevet accepts new members, who must be a Yale under grad, at the beginning of each academic year. Interested freshmen, sophomores and juniors audition, where they must demonstrate that they have strong singing ability. Prospective members also go through a “rush” type period before being tapped. Students do not have to be Jewish to become members of Magevet.

While in Florida, the group will make stops in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach areas. Two current members of the group are from Florida:: Merav Stern, of the Orlando area, and Greg Brown, of the Fort Lauderdale area.

For more information on the concert, contact 727-785- 8811 or email adminassistant@ahavathalom.org.